Karnataka polls: Siddaramaiah says fake Congress candidate list in circulation
Karnataka's ruling Congress has recently been hit by election-related fake news. On Tuesday, several media organizations and lakhs of voters across the state received a candidates list via WhatsApp. However, CM Siddaramaiah was quick to clarify that it was a "fake" list. He said, "Please don't patronize products of the #FakeNews factory." Here's more about it.
What was the Congress fake list?
The list had 132 names. Many believed the bluff as the Congress's Central Election Committee is in the middle of finalizing the candidates. Some media outlets aired the list too. The list even had senior leader Oscar Fernandes's signature. However, Fernandes is ill and has been admitted to Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital. Further, it mentioned LS's opposition leader Mallikarjuna Kharge as a candidate.
How did the Congress react?
Siddaramaiah said the fake list was being circulated to create confusion among the masses. Karnataka's AICC secretary and former MP Yakshi Goud held the BJP's IT Cell was responsible for this. Threatening action, he said BJP had "mastered the art of fake news to misguide the people." Notably, Congress is all set to provide a list of candidates for 224 constituencies by April 15.
Congress has already battled one fake news controversy recently
About three days ago, Congress was battling another "fake news" controversy wherein a "confidential" report apparently sent by the state's intelligence chief advised Siddaramaiah not to contest from Chamundeshwari in Mysore district. However, apart from obvious factual errors, the state's police called the bluff, claiming that such reports are always submitted verbally or orally and never in writing.
When are the Karnataka polls scheduled?
Karnataka-polls are scheduled for May 12. Results will be declared on May 15. In this high-stake election, Congress wants to retain one of its last-remaining strongholds. For BJP, it's a gateway to the South as it wishes to inch closer to its "Congress-mukt Bharat" vision.
